Distillation apparatus



Eem. 22 1925.

F'. LAMPLOUGH l DISTILLTION APP/maffe im@I Nov. 22; 1923' s sheets-sheet 1 DISTLLTION APPARATUS Filed Nov. 22. 1925 3 sheets-sheet 9 i Sept. 22, 19.25. I

F. LAMPLOUGH DIS'IIIJJATI0M APPARATUS med Nov. 22, 1925 3 Sheefcs-Sheetf '.715 j i corresponding ends of the retrts nextabo've Patented Sept. 22, 1925'.

AUNITED STATES lfrlzia'r.l OFFICE; l

FREDERICK LAMPLOUGH, 4Olli -HIGrHIEIELD, ELTHAM, ENGLAND, ASSIGNR T0 F.

LAMPLOUGH & COMPANY, LIMITED, F LONDON;r ENGLAND, A :BRITISH:l COMPANY.

DIsTrLLA'lrIoN ArrAnA'rUsu 'Application fuga November 22, ma serial No. 576,270.

To aZZVwwm-t may concern:

Be it known`thatL-FREDER1GK LAMP- LoUeH, a subject of the King-of England, residing in Highfield, Feltham, iMiddlesex,

5 England, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Distillation Apparatus,` of which the tion. j, -Thisiinvention consistsin improvements in or relating to distillation apparatus, which is particularly suitable for the distilf lation of; shale and solid carbonaceous fuels, and refers to that type of apparatus in which thereis employeda plurality of tubular retorts each-arranged in a horizontalorsubstantially horizontal position.

Fuel-distillation apparatus according to the present invention comprises in combination a plurality-of tubular retortsjwith their axes extending substantiallyhorizontally, f

saidretorts being arranged in vertical rows `with the retorts in one row staggered in a vertical direction vin relation to those in the next row, fuel-transfer'means operative between opposite ends of eachretort and theA and below it in an adjacent row, and means to propel the fuel *along yeach retort from that end whichcommunicates'with a retort ,30 at a higher level to that end which communicates with'a retort at a lower level.

tion of apparatus as, above described, with means to lead steam into the steam-j acket of 5 an upper retortand to pass it in succession through jackets of the retorts below, and

means to pass steam from 4'the jacket ofa 0 teriors of the retorts above it.

The foregoing and otherrfeatures of the invention will be more clearly 4understood from 4the following description' ofone pref ferred embodiment 'of the invention now described by way'. of example only, with thef aid of the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure vl is an endele-vation of a distilla- "tion apparatus, parts being removed for 0 clearness;

Figure 2 is a View of the apparatus shown in Figure 1 and viewed from the leftfthereof,

' the outer wall of the enclosing furnace being omitted to show the retorts;

following is a speciflcaother,

i Figure 3 is a detail of part of the drive mechanism for the retort-conveyors;

`-Figure 4 .is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure l;v i V Figure 5 is a section on wthe line 5--5 of yFigure 4; and

described above are Vemployed (Figures 1 and 2`)` andv in eachof these is a conveyorscrew 1Q for transporting thematerial to be distilled fromtone' end Qf the retort to 'the other. At the upper end of Figure 2, parts are shown broken away in two retorts toillustrate the j acketing.

The ends l'of the conveyors with bearings larranged in end covers or boxes 14. at the ends of the retorts, and conduits are provided by means of these boxes interconnecting the ends of a retort in one i row and a retort next below it in the other row; ',lhese connections are "made alternately from opposite ends of the retorts so that fuel which passes through a vretort under the action of'its conveyor-screw 12 is discharged from one end of it through Athe diagonally arranged' box' or conduit into the' adjacent` end of the retortynext below itin the other row, thence through ltheA latter retort by means of its conveyor-screw and from the opposite end of it to the adjacent end of the retort next belovvgitl in the first-mentioned row; and so o n Vsuccessively throughout" the entire number. of'retorts. i j

'The boxes thus afford inclined shoots or passages down which: the material passes from one retort to the next smoothly and without such violence as would attain were it to drop vertically from one retort to the The screw-conveyors, as drawings`(see Figure 3) may be alternately ware provided shown in the 100 rightand left-handed and the shafts of all' the conveyors are driven by means of outside-4 Suche gearing comprises, for example, a worm 40 gearing all in the same direction.

meshingwith Vwormswheels 41 arranged alternately on oppositesidesof the worm-*axis and secured respectvelyto the conveyorscrews of the several retorts. 'The wormi spindle be formed with a plurality lof worms alternately rightand left-handed so that allthe Worm-wheels are driven inthe Vsame direction. This serves to balance, to a.`

large extent, end-thrust on the worm-spindle whichwould otherwise occur if the worm- Y worm-drive 42, fronrany convenient'sourceis a tubular drum-18 having wheels'ron Yopposite sides were Vall 4driven romia single worm.` The screw-conveyors for one row of retorts will be opposite-handed with respect to vthose ofthe other row and the worm can be driven by a main ered by a Vpart of the wall of thefouterv edges of the inlet and outlet apertures l inas shown-in Figures 4 andr5.

' cover -23 aiording' a- -A'ots 28Min an extended portion of the Y of the member 18. Thus, as the Y rotated' the member 18 willbe "cessive Vchar Y retort, anda evioe atfthe bottom casing which is situated between proximate there- The ends of the casing 15 are closed '.by

plates 21v bolted to flanges on the casing 3o and a tubular boss 22 exten from the'. side'wall of the cas` is edwith a ring -for a spindle 24. The spindle is formed Vwith acrank 25 and crank-pin 26 f which` latter slidingly 'engages within a sleeve 27 mounted ong.;

cbmbinedmdtionrof recprocas@ and lation so that-first its port 19,will be'brought into alignmentrwith the` port V16'- and the l'nember'18`Y will receive a charge. fThere` after further rotation of the spindle 24 Y serves tomove the port 19`until it is closed by the wall of the 15 and then to open the port 20 to the 1% whereupon thecontents of the mem Y 18wi111be discharged'.

'' It will be appreciatdjthat one device s'uch' as ust beendcribed serves Aat the` upper en of the apparatus to feed'snc'- to -thell uppermost serves todischargetheilesidue from the lowermost retort-chamber. is driven by ajchain andsprocket connec.

im 2.9, 30,31 from the conveyor-'screw ,spins-A MTW@ andY discharge deyioe driven by a4 conneetionr.-fromthel conveyor-screw spindle .of the lowermost retort.

- ported at its opposite ends in two opposed .on the walls of the enclosing chamber.

'iat ordinary an-inlet-plpe 34 to the jacket-space of the e' ilow relation to v and-then through the interior of the retortsAY Each tubular retort preferablysup- V .tort is rigidly secured tothe adjacent wall 130,' as shown in detail in Figure "6, -while 4the opposite end of each retort is supported 'in sliding relation, by means o-a packed igland or similar joint 33, with the opposite wall ofthe chamber aforesaid. Thus,

.expansion of the retort-chambers is accommodated without Aimposing undue stresses In addition to the'gearing for driving the conveyor-screws there is provided -an elevating mechanism, not shown, for carrying the .charge to theftop ofthe retort in such a manner as to. enable the speed ofv charging 'to be synchroni7ed with the speed of the con- 80 veyors, thereby avoiding any overcharging and consequent blocking of the retorts. f

' Convenientlytlie retorts are bricked in andired from below .with an ordinary furl. nace or by producer'gas,`

operatlon superheated steamror steam temperature is admited through top retort in each row'and,.as hereinbefore described,is passed in succession through the 90 vjackets ofthe netorts be1ow-by means of pipes 340. By the time the steam has passed the bottom jacketsgit has attained a-conslderable temperature 'of superheat, for

example 31200-400or C. At this temperature -the Steam is led by- Va. pipe 35Yinto the interior ofthe bottom retort via its end box 14-and successively in an upward direction throughthe interiors of the retorts above.

In so it carries Ywithl it vapours given 100 of Yby theV material under treatment, the and oil vapours making their exit Vfrom thetop retort and being'V transferred therefrom to a condensing plant through a conduit branching at 140 from the box 14.*10?i One advantage of thesteani-jack- Yeted tubes in the manner above described is that the 'furnace-heat is directedon ltov the walls of the .jackets and the ,walls of the retort-chambers .are'insulated from direct iir- 1 10?. Hence the material in the retortsis not subjected toa direct fierce heat, which often resultsin eXesiVel local heating and br" about certain objectionable reactions. heat isevenly distributed and as the first passes thro e ascending furnace gases feeding device -in aV counterllow direction to the descending' l distillation, economyrirl20 undergoing n in'fuel'consumption is obtained.-

, obviously the more may be jackets@ in wards the furnace-grate a'nd thereafterfl- .lugs

. e i 3%, 115 Y the jacketsin a steam successively through jacketspaces surrounding passing the steam in the reverse direction through the interior of the retorts commencing at the bottom.

Obviously modifications may be made in lmany details of construction, for example vin the form of charging and discharging devices, the drives for the various parts, the design and construction of the jacketed retorts and in the method by which the retorts `and thel j acket-spaces are interconnected,

.A without departing from the spirit of the substantially horizontally, said retorts being arranged in vertical rows with the retorts in one row staggered in a vertical direction in relation to those in the next row, fueltransfer means operative between opposite ends of each retort and the corresponding ends of the retorts next above and below it in an adjacent row, means to propel the Afuel along each rvetort from that end which communicates with a retort at a higher level to that end which communicates with a retort at a lower level, means toI pass steam in succession through the retort steam jackets in a direction from the upper to the lower retorts, and means to pass steam from the steam jacket of a lower. retort through the interior of' that retort and then in succession through the interior of the retorts above it.

2. Apparatus for the distillation of'solid carbonaceous fuels and shale comprising in combination a plurality of externally-fired tubular retorts with their axes extending substantially horizontally, said retorts being arranged in vertical rows with the retorts in one row staggered in a vertical direction in relation to those in the next row, a chamber enclosing the retorts aforesaid and having gtwo opposed walls engaging and supporting opposite ends respectively of the retorts, the engagement at one end being rigid and that at the other`being arranged to p'ermit sliding Amovement of the retortends relatively to the supporting wall, fueltransfer means operative between opposite `ends of each retort and the corresponding ends of the retorts nextaboveand below it f in an adjacent row, and means to propel the fuel along each retort from that end 'which communicates with a retort at a vhigher level to that end which communicates with a retort at a lower level.

3. Apparatus for the distillation of solid carbonaceous fuels and shale comprising in combination a plurality of tubular retorts with their axes' extending substantially horizontally, said retorts being arranged invertical rows with the retorts in one rowy staggered in a vertical direction in relation to f those in the next row, fuel transfer means operative between opposite ends of each retort and the corresponding ends of the retorts next above and below it in an adjacent row','means to propel'the fuel along each retort from that end which communicates with a retort at a higher level to that end which communicates with -a retort at a lower level and fuel feeding and extracting devices each consisting of a tubular casing having in its peripheral wall an inlet and an outlet spaced apart in a circumferential direction, a tubular drum'engaging in a sliding-fit within the casing aforesaid and having two apertures in its peripheral wall spaced apart in a circumferential direction but lomeans to oscillatethe drum between a pof lsition in which one of the drum apertures is in register with the inlet aperture in the casing and a position in which the other drum aperture is in register with the outlet aperture in the casing.

In testimony whereof l atlix iny signature.

FREDERICK LAMPLOUGH.

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